Car coupling



Dec. 3o, 1924.

' H. M. BROW N CAR COUPLING Filed Aug. 19;, 1924 Patented Dec. 30, 1924.

Preis.

HARRY M.y BROWN, or Nnw KENSINGTON, rnNNsYi.v ANIA.`

CAR GOUPLING.

Application mea August 19, 1924. sei-iai No. 732,940.

provements in Car Couplings, rof whichim-- provements the following is a specification. In Letters Patent of the United States No.L 1,429,186, granted` me September 1 2,

i922, and No. l, 469,355, granted me October 2, 1923, I have described car couplers useful particularly in the coupling of mine cars and, cars used for hauling materials in steel mills. My present invention concerns car couplers which, while not limited t-o any particular field of service, are adapted to like uses. The characteristics of the coupler ofrmy present invention yare vsimplicity of structure, attended by certainty in operation and `durability iny continued service.

Acar` coupler` embodying my, present in-- vention is illustrated in` the accompanying drawings. Fig. I is a view of two cooperating couplers, shown, .one 4in side elevation, the other in .vertical and medial section;

F ig. II shows the same assembly, one of the,

pair being illustrated in plan-from above, the other in horizontal section, on the plane indicated at II-II, F ig. I; Fig. III is a view in vertical and transversesection,y on the plane ,indicatedat III-ULF ig. I.

The coupler includes. a head, and a cou,v

pling hook. The head is of the familiar bull-nose type.l y It may be secured tothe car in any known and preferred manner. I here show it to be secured most simply, bv being bolted directly to the sill of the car.

The head is formed conveniently of two castings: the main casting l, slotted above at 2, to allow free swingof the hoolnopen below at 3, to allow the escape of scale` and of yforeign matter which Vmight otherwise accumulate within, and ianged to rearward at 4, by which flange the casting may be bolted to the car-sill. The upper slot 2 does not extend to the `forward edge of the casting, but the bull-nosed opening is rimmed about with a continuous web 5.of metal. .A l

second casting k6 forms ahoodfor the upper slot 2 in the main casting. It too 1s hanged torearwarid, at .7,- and bolted to place,.may.be

applied rand removed without disturbingthe mam casting, ifthe latter be already bolted toplace. This second casting is furtherprovided with webs 8 which, extendinglateral-` ly, overlie the upper surface of casting I.. and more eifectually protect the slot 2 from.

ingress `of foreign matter,V Furthermore, these webs` 8 re-enforce the'rim 5.' ofthe bullnose opening and strengthenitsv The hook 9 is mounted within the lhead andhas two essential movements within ithe.

head. Its primary movement is .that Oizrotation in vertical plane to and .from..the

coupling position wh-ichis best shown in.

Fig. I. Additionally, it hasa vlimited range ofA bodily movement.,longitudinally inithe direction of theline of traction. l.In 4,this connection it ,will be observed in Fig., .I that the hook 9 at its anterior end is notched, at 10, and that when in traction position, this notch l0 engages ;from,within the yupper rim 5 of the `bull-nose orifice ofthe coupler head. This engagement of ,the notch with the rim of the orice in the head prevents the hook when under traction from` jumping .out1of coupling position .and releasing the cou-k plmg link L, with which it isheregshown to be in engagement. Toward its posterior end the hook 9is provided with opposite trunnions ll,v and these trunnions rest by g'rayity`A upon surfaces formed in the body of the head, so .disposed as to allow thefhook to swing to andfrom coupling,l position. The engagement, however, of the ltrunnions 11 with the` head is such asto lallow some forward and rearward movement of the hook as a whole; within the head. This latitude for rearward movement of the hook is sufficiently indicated in Fig. I.

The hook 9 may be appliedthroiigh the i slot in the upper wall of casting lV andbe brought `to operative positioinwith the trunnions 1l adjacent the bearing surfaces provided for them` It follows that castingy l may be secured tothe car`v and,V casting 8y beingy not yet applied, the hook maybe in-p troduced and brought, tofplace,.and afterl that the casting 8 maybe applied, and so the assembly may be completed. f. .1 K, I The couplinghook 9 rests normally under the influence of gravity in coupling position. Its anterior face 12 is inclined. ln the operation of coupling, a link L, bearing against this face 12, tends both to shift the hook rearwardly through its limited range of longitudinal movement, and to swing it upwardly and pivotally. By such rearward displacement and vertical swing, the entering link passes beneath the tip of the hook, and the hook then, released from the impulsion of the link, falls under gravity into coupling engagement with the link. lVhen thereafter traction strain comes upon the assembly, the parts take the positions shown in Fig. I. It is observed that in this cou-v pling position the hook is so shaped that its surface of engagement with the link extends beneath the mid-plane of the link, and it will be perceived that this engagement with the link from beneath, and the engagement of the notch 10 with the rim of the opening in the coupler head, effectually hold the link while under traction from joltng out of coupling engagement with link L.

The means for effecting uncoupling include a manually rotatable shaft 13, and a connecting rod 14. The shaft 13 at its ends is bent to form crank arms 15, accessible at the sides of the car for the operation of uncoupling. Medially, the shaft 13 is bent to form a crank loop 16. With the loop 16 the connecting rod 14 is linked. The hook 9 on its upper surface is provided with a forwardly directed hook 17, and this forwardly directed hook is bifurcated, as is particularly shown in Fig. H. rlh-e connecting rod 14 is provided with an enlarged head 18. In assembly the rod 14 rests by gravity upon the upper surface of hook 9, it extends between the bifurcations of the hook 17, and the head 18 of the rod engages from in front the forwardly directed hook 17. This will be clearly perceived on comparing'Figs. I and Il. The arrangement is best illustrated in Fig. l. The assembly here is complete and the parts are in traction position. When uncoupling is to be eected, traction strain being relieved and the link L resting free within the head, shaft 13 is, by means of one or the other of the hand cranks 15, turned clockwise. The consequent turning of the crank loop 16 clockwise has the effect, first, of drawing the hook 9 rearward, that is to say, from left to right. Thus, the notch 10 is withdrawn from engagement with the rim at the forward end of the coupler head, and the anterior end of the hook is brought wholly beneath the slot 2. Further turning of the shaft 13 and of the crank loop 16 in clockwise direction causes the hook 9 to turn clockwise on its trunnions 11, raising the anterior end and so effecting uncoupling. lWhen thereafter the brakeman releases the shaft 13, the hook returns under gravity to position ready for automatic coupling, and as it so returns, it carries with it the rod 14 and causes the parts to resume substantially the positions shown in Fig. I. The castings 1 and 8 are recessed, as clearly appears in Fig. l, to allow the free operation of the uncoupling mechanism, in the manner described. rlhe recess R .in the casting 1 is of suthcient width to admitof the introduction of the posterior end of hook 9 with its trun- 7.3 nions 11.

r1`he bearing for the rotating shaft 13 may conveniently be formed between the two castings 1 and 6. lThis arrangement will be apparent on comparing Figs. I and Il.

l have spoken of the trunnions 11 as affording pivotal movement for hook 9. It will be apparent on consideration of Fig. l, that the bearings for these trunnions, formed in casting 1, are merely plane surfaces or substantially such, and that the turning of the trunnions 11 is effected when the trunnions are bearing against surfaces with respect to -which there is looseness of play. rihis is permissible, because when the hook Pt is being turned, it is under no strain whatever. lNhen it is under traction, the trunnions 11 are free and do not bear upon the surfaces of casting 1 anterior to them. The strain of traction is borne between the notched forward end 10 of the hook 9 and the adjacent portion 5 of the coupler head.

It will be observed that no spring is included in this assembly; that when in operation the hook is wholly responsive to the 10 force of traction; that the uncoupling mechanism is under no strain whatever, except when actually in service to effect uncoupling. The operation of uncoupling does not require the brakeman to enter the space between the mi cars. lt will be observed that the mechanism is very simple is strong to endure wear, and that the whole is easily accessible for assembly and replacement.

l claim as my invention:

1. ln a car-coupler of bull-nose type, the combination of a coupler-head, a hook arranged within the head and capable of being shifted in right-line movement through a limited range and in the direction of trac- 115 tion, and capable also of swinging in a vertical plane to and from coupling position, the hook being further provided on its upper surface with an anteriorly-faced abutment, a rotatable shaft arranged to rearward 12o of the said abutment upon the hook and provided with a forwardly and rearwardly swinging crank-arm, and a connecting rod linked to such crank-arm, and at its anterior end resting by gravity upon said coupling 125 hook and in advance of said abutment and provided with a posteriorly-faced abutment adapted on the rotation of said shaft to engage the abutment on the hook.

2. 1n a car-coupler a coupler-head of bull- )13o nose type formed of two castings, the one the two said castings, when the second-men- 10 slotted above, and the other forming a retoned casting has been applied. movable closure for such slot, a coupling In testimony whereof I have hereunto set hook pivoted within the casting rst menmy hand.

tioned and applicable through the slot in the casting first mentioned to its position HARRY M. BROWN. therein before the second-mentioned Casting,l Witnesses:

JOHN B. HAGERMAN,

has been applied, and a hook-swinging shaft P. F. GUENTHER.

rotatable in bearings formed by and between 

